UN envoy says military forces in Libya are flexing muscles

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. envoy for Libya says military forces "are flexing their muscles in many parts of the country" and the oil-rich nation needs a competent government.

Ghassan Salame told the Security Council on Wednesday that "the specter of violence remains present." He pointed to clashes between forces allied with two rival communities close to Libya's border with Tunisia, rival groups at a flashpoint in the eastern vicinity of Tripoli, and heightened tension around the city of Derna.

Libya fell into chaos after the ouster and killing of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. Since 2014, it has been split between rival governments and parliaments based in west and east.

Salame said negotiations to amend a 2015 political agreement to create a unity government "have crystalized consensus on the much-needed adjustments."